Turkish police order U.S. helicopters

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FORT WORTH, Texas, March 13 (UPI) -- Turkey's national police has ordered 15 aircraft from Bell Helicopter for an undisclosed sum.

Bell said its 429 aircraft will be used in a variety of law enforcement missions, including surveillance and air support of ground operations.

"It is a measure of great satisfaction to see the right helicopter matched with the requirements of a great customer with the benefits to Turkey and the service that these helicopters will provide the men and women of Turkish law enforcement and the Turkish people," said Larry Roberts, senior vice president, Commercial Business for Bell Helicopter.

"The Turkish national police represents an anchor program for us in Europe and will allow Bell Helicopter the opportunity to bring its world-class customer support and service to such a critical mission in Turkey."

The Bell 429 is a light, twin-engine helicopter jointly developed with Korea Aerospace Industries. It has a maximum speed of 178 miles per hour, a service ceiling of 20,000 feet and a range of 449 miles.

It has been certified in more than 40 countries and comes in a number of variants.

Delivery of the aircraft will begin next year.